[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 291 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 291

   Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning drawdowns of the 
                      Strategic Petroleum Reserve.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2000

    Mr. Klink (for himself, Mr. Baldacci, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Brady of 
  Pennsylvania, Mr. Holden, Mr. Mascara, Mr. Olver, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
  Gejdenson, Mr. Weygand, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. 
    Coyne, and Mr. Maloney of Connecticut) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning drawdowns of the 
                      Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Whereas the price of crude oil has more than doubled in the past year to over 
        $30 per barrel, and prices of petroleum products such as heating oil, 
        diesel fuel, and gasoline have reached record levels;
Whereas a sharp sustained increase in the price of crude oil negatively affects 
        the overall economic well-being of the United States;
Whereas high oil prices harm people and businesses;
Whereas the Energy Information Administration has determined that Northeastern 
        United States fuel reserves are the lowest in 20 years and that 
        Americans are ``skating on thin ice'' in meeting energy requirements;
Whereas the current price and supply crisis was largely created through the 
        actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (``OPEC'') 
        by market-distorting and collusive production reductions, and OPEC's 
        activities would be in violation of United States antitrust laws if 
        conducted within the United States;
Whereas OPEC has demonstrated unity not seen since the energy crises of the 
        1970's;
Whereas the United States has a Strategic Petroleum Reserve of over 570,000,000 
        barrels of crude oil to protect against threats to oil supplies;
Whereas many experts, trade associations, and Members of Congress have called 
        for a drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat OPEC's 
        market distorting behavior;
Whereas a drawdown or the threat of a drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum 
        Reserve could provide a critical tool to break the resolve of OPEC to 
        practice market distorting behavior, and a sale of oil from the 
        Strategic Petroleum Reserve would increase domestic supplies and drive 
        down prices in the short term;
Whereas swaps from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve offer a way to increase the 
        overall size of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at no cost to the 
        taxpayer;
Whereas the President's authority to draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve 
        expires on March 31, 2000;
Whereas low global inventories allow OPEC to retain inordinate control over 
        supply and pricing, and consequently undue influence over the global 
        economy;
Whereas Department of Energy Secretary Richardson has led diplomatic efforts 
        with key OPEC leaders which may yield beneficial results that would 
        decrease crude oil prices; and
Whereas the member nations of OPEC are scheduled to convene a summit on March 27 
        for the purpose of discussing increased production of oil: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) if the March 27 OPEC summit does not result in a 
        decision to increase production sufficiently to reduce the 
        price of oil in the United States, reversing OPEC's market-
        distorting behavior, then using authority under existing law, 
        directly through time exchanges (or ``swaps'') or through other 
        means, the President and the Secretary of Energy should draw 
        down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an economically 
        feasible manner and to a responsible degree, to combat unfair 
        foreign trade practices of the Organization of Petroleum 
        Exporting Countries and alleviate the severely deleterious 
        consequences to people and business in the United States that 
        those practices have caused;
            (2) Congress should immediately pass, and the President 
        should sign into law, legislation to reauthorize the Energy 
        Policy and Conservation Act and extend the President's 
        authority to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; 
        and
            (3) the President and the Secretary of Energy should 
        prepare for potential future threats to the economy and energy 
        supply of the United States by developing methods to--
                    (A) increase the quantity of crude oil in the 
                Strategic Petroleum Reserve over time in an 
                economically reasonable manner that maximizes the use 
                of domestic energy resources; and
                    (B) promote a diversified energy portfolio.
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